"Patriots are not revolutionaries trying to overthrow the government of the United States.
Patriots are Counter-Revolutionaries trying to prevent the government from overthrowing the Constitution."
The Coach’s Team (TCT) offers the best in conservative essays along with articles taken from various internet sites. The victory of Donald Trump has provided a God-sent opportunity to reverse the years of willful damage done our nation by Barack Hussein Obama.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Let’s Study the Constitution, Part 7

By
Susan Frickey, Center for Self Governance student

The Third Amendment reads, “No soldier shall, in time of peace, be
quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war
except in a manner prescribed by law.”

This
Amendment, introduced by James Madison, was important to the Framers because of
the callous way in which British troops would take over and loot personal
residences during the Revolutionary war through Britain’s Quartering
Acts.

In
The Making ofAmerica, W. Cleon
Skousen writes how quartering of troops was among the “long train of abuses and
usurpations” of King George listed in the Declaration of Independence. Homeowners were required at the time to provide
the enemy troops with fire, candles, vinegar and salt, bedding, utensils, and
other supplies, without ever receiving any kind of compensation. This had
been a common practice of war in Europe. Quartering of troops was considered worse
than a plague because the soldiers were notorious for ravishing the women,
destroying the furniture and property, and abusing the owners. They would
often destroy or take the crops when they departed to keep them out of the
hands of the other side.

This barbaric
practice often left the homeowner with nothing. If the home was burned, there
was no place to live, no clothes to wear, no precious heirlooms saved over
generations, no treasure remaining to use as capital for rebuilding. Hence, the
Framers hastened to write an amendment to protect families and property from
the military.

This
Amendment has not come into play in many decades, but it is there to
ensure personal safety, protect our privacy and property rights. It is the only
part of the Constitution that deals directly with the relationship between the
rights of individuals and the military, both in peace and in war.

The Fourth Amendmentsays,
“The right of the people to be secure in
their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable search and
seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable
cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched and persons or things to be seized.”

The Fourth
amendment is related to the Third Amendment in that it protects unjustified
violations of privacy and property. It is easy to see how outraged the Framers
were about the violation of their natural right to be free from invasion of
their person and their private property, and get a sense of the damage done by
arrogant British troops.

In studying
the Framers, a pattern emerges as to the importance of protecting individual
rights. The entire Constitution’s focus is on limitingthe power of the federal government and protecting the
natural rights to liberty and property of each individual American. Many
of the Founders and Framers gained their understanding of the“life, liberty and property” philosophy and basic principles of
liberty referred to in the Declaration by studying Dr.
John Locke’s
work.

Unfortunately,
a shameless disregard for the Fourth Amendment is currently on display for all
to see as our government takes greater and broader liberties.

For
example, the collection of direct taxes, through invasion of homes, businesses
and bank accounts, is impossible without virtually wiping out the guarantees
set forth in the Fourth Amendment.

In recent
years, a multitude of cases involving one of the alphabet-agencies of the
Federal government, like the BLM and USFS, have resulted in confiscated ranches,
homes, water rights, mining and other income-generating enterprises with no
legal basis. What about the illegal searches and seizures by the TSA that occur
against Americans thousands of times a day in airports across the nation?

The biggest
challenge ahead in preserving the Fourth Amendment is how to protect individual
rights and privacy in the age of the Internet. What limits does the Fourth
Amendment impose on the government collecting and manipulating our personal information?
What about the NSA, which monitors our phone conversations and emails?
How will we see this play out in the courts?

It is vital
for all Americans to understand their natural rights­­ protected by our
Constitution. Historically, public outcry against unconstitutional,
unreasonable, or even unpopular policy has proven an effective conduit for
change of erroneous policy.

The Fifth Amendment reads,
“No person shall be held to answer for a
capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of
a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the
Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any
person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or
limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against
himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of
law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just
compensation.”

The Fifth
Amendment provisions protect individuals from unfounded legal charges and from
their personal property being confiscated. It insists on the “letter of
the law” to screen the facts and compel prosecutors to specify charges against
an individual. It demands that there be sufficient evidence before moving
forward with a warrant and court proceeding. In addition, the Fifth Amendment
protects an individual from being compelled to testify against him or herself
or be tried twice for a capital crime.

The
Constitution is all about the People’s protection FROM government; protection
of the individual, their natural
rightsand personal property.

Edward
Erler in the Hillsdale College publication, Imprimiswrites, “If there are to be limits to the reach of
the burgeoning administrative state, they will be political limits imposed by
the people in the ordinary course of partisan politics. The advent of the
administrative state poses the greatest challenge to limited government,
because it elevates the welfare of the community – whether real or imagined –
over the rights and liberties of individuals. The task today is to
confine the federal government to its delegated powers.”

For a valuable
resource in your study of the Constitution, go to constitutioncenter.org

The
Language
of Liberty series is a collaborative effort of the Center for Self
Governance (CSG) Administrative Team. CSG is a non-profit, non-partisan
educational organization, dedicated to training citizens in applied civics. The
authors include administrative staff, selected students, and guest columnists. The
views expressed by the authors are their own and may not reflect the views of
CSG.Learn
more at CenterforSelfGovernance.com.